ריבונו של עולם הריני מוחל | Prayer of Forgiveness from the Bedtime Shema, by Rabbi Yitsḥak Luria z"l (translation by Reb Zalman Schachter-Shalomi)

Source Link: https://opensiddur.org/?p=16104

Date: 2017-07-25

Last Updated: 2023-01-28

Categories: Bedtime Shema

Tags: 16th century C.E., 54th century A.M., Before Sleep, devotional interpretation, ecoḥasid, Equanimity, Forgiveness, interpretive translation, school of the ARI z"l, חתימות ḥatimot (concluding prayers)

Excerpt: Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, z"l, included his translation of Rabbi Yitsḥak Luria's prayer "Hareni Moḥel" (I hereby forgive) in his Siddur Tehillat Hashem Yidaber Pi (2009). To the best of my ability, I have set his translation side-by-side with a transcription of the vocalized text of the prayer. The prayer by the ARI z"l was first published in Ḥayim Vital's Pri Ets Ḥayyim, Shaar Kriyat Shema al Hamitah, Pereq 2 (פרי עץ חיים, שער קריאת שמע שעל המיטה, פרק ב), and based on the statement of Reish Lakish in the Bavli Pesachim 66b and the practice of Mar Zutra attested in the Bavli Megillah 28a . . .

Content:

Source (Hebrew)	Translation (English)
	Before you go to sleep, make an examination of your conscience for the entire day. Check your relationships and make an act of forgiveness.   Recalling whatever frustration and hurt was experienced during the day, at the hands of others, visualize them written on slips of paper. Rip these up one by one, forgiving fully those who hurt you as you say:
רִבּוֹנוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם הֲרֵינִי מוֹחֵל לְכָל מִי שֶׁהִכְעִיס וְהִקְנִיט אוֹתִי אוֹ שֶׁחָטָא כְּנֶגְדִּי בֵּין בְּגוּפִי בֵּין בְּמָמוֹנִי בֵּין בִּכְבוֹדִי בֵּין בְּכָל אֲשֶׁר לִי בֵּין בְּאוֹנֶס בֵּין בְּרָצוֹן בֵּין בְּשׁוֹגֵג בֵּין בְּמֵזִיד בֵּין בְּמַחֲשָׁבָה בֵּין בְּדִבּוּר בֵּין בְּמַעֲשֶׂה. בֵּין בְּגִלְגּוּל זֶה בֵּין בְּגִלְגּוּל אַחֵר לְכָל בַּר יִשְׂרָאֵל וְלֹא יֵעָנֵשׁ שׁוּם אָדָם בְּסִבָּתִי.	Ribono Shel Olam, I hereby forgive whoever has hurt me, And whoever has done me any wrong; Whether it was Deliberately or by accident, Whether it was Done by word or by deed, In this incarnation Or in previous ones. May no one, Be punished on my account.
יְהִי רָצוֹן מִלְּפָנֶיךָ אֲדֹנָי אֱלֹהַי וֵאלֹהֵי אֲבוֹתַי שֶׁלֹּא אֶחְטָא עוֹד וְלֹא אֶחֱזוֹר בָּהֶם וְלֹא אָשׁוּב עוֹד לְהַכְעִיסֶךָ וְלֹא אֶעֱשֶׂה הָרַע בְּעֵינֶיךָ.	May it be Your will, O L~rd my G~d, G~d of my parents, That I sin no more, That I do not revert to my old ways, That I do not anger You any more by my actions, May I do not do that which is evil in Your sight.
וּמַה שֶׁחָטָאתִי לְפָנֶיךָ מְחוֹק בְּרַחֲמֶיךָ הָרַבִּים אֲבָל לֹא עַל יְדֵי יִסּוּרִים וָחֳלָיִם רָעִים.	Wipe away the sins That I have committed, With Your great compassion, But not through Sickness or suffering.
יִהְיוּ לְרָצוֹן אִמְרֵי־פִי וְהֶגְיוֹן לִבִּי לְפָנֶיךָ יְהוָה צוּרִי וְגֹאֲלִי׃	May these words Of my mouth, And the prayers That are in my heart, Be acceptable before You, O L~rd, My Rock and my Redeemer.[1] Psalms 19:13

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Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, z”l, included his translation of Rabbi Yitsḥak Luria’s prayer “Hareni Moḥel” (I hereby forgive) in his Siddur Tehillat Hashem Yidaber Pi (2009). To the best of my ability, I have set his translation side-by-side with a transcription of the vocalized text of the prayer.

The prayer by the ARI z”l was first published in Ḥayim Vital’s Pri Ets Ḥayyim, Shaar Kriyat Shema al Hamitah, Pereq 2 (פרי עץ חיים, שער קריאת שמע שעל המיטה, פרק ב), and based on the statement of Reish Lakish in the Bavli Pesachim 66b and the practice of Mar Zutra attested in the Bavli Megillah 28a:

ריש לקיש אמר כל אדם שכועס אם חכם הוא חכמתו מסתלקת ממנו אם נביא הוא נבואתו מסתלקת ממנו אם חכם הוא חכמתו מסתלקת ממנו ממשה דכתיב ויקצוף משה על פקודי החיל וגו׳ וכתיב ויאמר אלעזר הכהן אל אנשי הצבא הבאים למלחמה זאת חקת התורה אשר צוה ה׳ את משה וגו׳ מכלל דמשה איעלם מיניה

Similarly, Reish Lakish said: Any person who becomes angry, if he is a Torah scholar, his wisdom departs from him, and if he is a prophet, his prophecy departs from him. The Gemara explains: That if he is a Torah scholar his wisdom departs from him is learned from Moshe, as it is written: “And Moshe became angry with the officers of the host, the captains over thousands and the captains over hundreds, who came from the battle” (Numbers 31:14). And what was his punishment? As it is written afterward: “And Elazar the priest said to the men of war who went to the battle: This is the statute of the law, which YHVH commanded Moshe” (Numbers 31:21), which proves by inference that this law had become hidden from Moshe due to his anger. (Pesachim 66b)

ולא עלתה על מטתי קללת חברי כי הא דמר זוטרא כי הוה סליק לפורייה אמר שרי ליה לכל מאן דצערן

Rabbi Neḥunya also said: Nor did I ever allow the resentment caused by my fellow’s curse to go up with me upon my bed. This is referring to conduct such as that of Mar Zutra. When he would go to bed at night, he would first say: “I forgive anyone who has vexed me.” (Megillah 28a)

Source(s)

 

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Notes[+]

Notes

1	Psalms 19:13

Contributor: Zalman Schachter-Shalomi

Co-authors:

• 
  Name: Zalman Schachter-Shalomi
  Bio: Rabbi Dr. Zalman Meshullam Schachter-Shalomi, affectionately known as "Reb Zalman" (28 August 1924 – 3 July 2014) was one of the founders of the Jewish Renewal movement. Born in Żółkiew, Poland (now Ukraine) and raised in Vienna, he was interned in detention camps under the Vichy Regime but managed to flee the Nazi advance, emigrating to the United States in 1941. He was ordained as an Orthodox rabbi in 1947 within the ḤaBaD Hasidic movement while under the leadership of the sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe, Yosef Yitzchok Schneersohn, and served ḤaBaD communities in Massachusetts and Connecticut. He subsequently earned an M.A. in psychology of religion at Boston University, and a doctorate from the Hebrew Union College. He was initially sent out to speak on college campuses by the Lubavitcher Rebbe, but in the early 1960s, after experimenting with "the sacramental value of lysergic acid", the main ingredient in LSD, leadership within ḤaBaD circles cut ties with him. He continued teaching the Torah of Ḥassidut until the end of his life to creative, free and open-minded Jewish thinkers with humility and kindness and established warm ecumenical ties as well. In September 2009, he became the first contributor of a siddur to the Open Siddur Project database of Jewish liturgy and related work. Reb Zalman supported the Open Siddur Project telling its founder, "this is what I've been looking forward to!" and sharing among many additional works of liturgy, an interview he had with Havurah magazine in the early to mid-1980s detailing his vision of "Database Davenen." The Open Siddur Project is proud to be realizing one of Reb Zalman's long held dreams.
  Website: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zalman_Schachter-Shalomi
  Profile Link: https://opensiddur.org/profile/zalman-schachter-shalomi
• 
  Name: Yitsḥak Luria
  Bio: Yitsḥak Luria Ashkenazi (1534 – July 25, 1572) (Hebrew: יִצְחָק בן שלמה לוּרְיָא אשכנזי, English: Isaac ben Solomon or Yitzhak ben Shlomo Lurya Ashkenazi), commonly known as "Ha'ARI" (meaning "The Lion"), "Ha'ARI Hakadosh" [the holy ARI] or "ARIZaL" [the ARI, Of Blessed Memory (Zikhrono Livrakha)], was a foremost rabbi and Jewish mystic in the community of Safed in the Galilee region of Ottoman Syria. He is considered the father of contemporary Kabbalah, his teachings being referred to as Lurianic Kabbalah. The works of his disciples compiled his oral teachings into writing and spread his fame which led to his veneration and the acceptance of his authority. Every custom of the Ari was scrutinized, and many were accepted, even against previous practice. Luria died at Safed on July 25, 1572 (5 Av 5332). He was buried in the Old Cemetery of Safed (from wikipedia)
  Website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_Luria
  Profile Link: https://opensiddur.org/profile/yitzhak-luria

Featured Image:

Title: Hareni Mochel from ספר שערי ציון תקון סעודה (1760)
Caption: